Sleep apnea is a condition in which people stop breathing numerous times throughout the night, due to either an obstruction in the airway, or through a lack of signals from the brain to trigger breathing while the person is asleep.

Sleep apnea and its resultant stoppage of breath, and thus oxygen, leads to broken rest and further physiological problems when you are awake. If you suspect you have sleep apnea, see a doctor and find out about your treatment options.

The doctor will take a history of your symptoms and use diagnostic tools, mainly a sleep study, to confirm your sleep apnea and the type. There are two types of sleep apnea: obstructive sleep apnea and central sleep apnea.

Both share similar symptoms but have a different cause. With obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), obstruction is caused by tissue in the back or top of the throat. With central sleep apnea (CSA), the brain forgets to signal the muscles responsible for breathing to work and you wake up repeatedly to restore breathing.

Treatments for sleep apnea are varied. The easiest and less invasive treatment is a CPAP machine. CPAP stands for continuous positive airway pressure. It is a device much like a mask that is worn on the face at night.

Blowing air is forced into the nose and/or the mouth to keep the soft tissue in the back of the throat from blocking the airway. Because the air is continuous, sleep apnea is stopped whenever the CPAP is used and normal sleep resumes.